Tariffs and bad weather in parts of the country weighed on leading recycling companies' first-quarter earnings, their leaders said, but overall they saw revenue increases.

After five years of work and many interim steps, Maryland became the sixth U.S. state to pass extended producer responsibility legislation for paper and packaging, continuing the policy's evolution in the country.

The U.S. government decided not to have recently fired workers return federally issued electronics, instead noting they will be "remotely sanitized," despite the potentially sensitive information the laptops, tablets and phones may contain.

In April, readers were drawn to stories about iFixit and Back Market's partnership, details on Camston Wrather's bankruptcy case and laws on solar panels and the right to repair in Washington. Rare earth recycling and Li-Cycle's need for more funding also caught reader attention.

After several years of work, Kentucky is no longer the only state in its region without a state recycling organization. The new Kentucky Recycling Coalition wants to increase access, update a statewide sustainability plan and build up membership.

Just a week after Maryland became state No. 6 to approve a bill on extended producer responsibility for packaging and paper, Washington made No. 7. 

Two big food brands and an eco-conscious apparel company reported on their use of plastic resins recently, with Mondelez and General Mills reporting a focus on reducing the use of plastic packaging and transitioning to mono-material packaging, respectively.

The Circular Action Alliance is asking for several changes to extended producer responsibility deadlines in response to the delayed rulemaking on SB 54. 

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery has proposed increasing some payment rates for processors who participate in the state e-scrap program. 

A right-to-repair electronics bill and a bill that would again delay the state's extended producer responsibility program for solar panels are both sitting on the Washington governor's desk after passing the state legislature earlier this month.